
Class _ J 
Bi)ok._. 



•3^ 



_ Ay T* 



/ 



A STATEMENT OF F\rTS, ^£fZ, 

Prcstntcd by Captain Scallav, of the United States^ 
nr Army, to the Public, ^'^ 



IN committino; to the press tlie follow'no* 
slalement of facts, I acknowledi^e that I act con- 
trary to the opinion and adyice of every connection 
and friend to whom I have spoken on the subject. 
For my perverseness in this instance, T offer to 
them, in excuse, the uniform and confirmed habit I 
have, of doing whatever may appear to me evi- 
dently jiist ; and to the public, generally, for intru- 
ding on their time or notice, the right which every 
one has to guard against any misrepresentation of 
an affair m which one's feelings are interested. I 
do not know that any misrepresentation has been 
made, nor am I aware of having attracted the at- 
tention of any male e:o5sips, a portion of which are 
unfortunately to be found in almost erery society ; 
but I consider it due to myself to guard against 
slander, by tb«-publishing, and promulgating the 
truth. I will now endeavor to sketch the subject : 
Early in June last, I was ordered from Baton 
Rouge, the Head Quarters of iny Kegiment, on a 



^Y 



rt.t*} t 



sirvev of tlip miHtary road, from Madi^onviUe to 
Na'^!iville, a-id returned to Baton I^ouL^e on the 1st 
of Au2:u-t wfien J f )und a letter d ted " New- 
York 1 ith June" from an acqu intance who had a 
s!.o time Uefore IfO Roston, which stated, to my 
"Utter ast nishment, that the vviiter had seen a leU r 
direcf^d to a g ntleman in New Tno^land, the 
perpdrtof which wa^ to mv disa^lvantai^e. \ re- 
called to my memory, as far as po>-ible, every 
transaction of note in which I had ever been con- 
cerned, i.-nd thi^ rcoult was, as all my intinvates 
know or can very easily believe, that, altliou2;h 
sometimes unwise in the execution of my own 
ideas of right or wrong, I had never done any 
thing whit h could ting* their chei ks or mine wiih 
a b'ush. Neillier could I, on mature reflection, 
FUSj ect but two persons iii the world of being ini- 
mical to me: the diderence with the one arising 
front our (-ppositeo[jinions, on a public matter, and 
with the other from my havn)g espoused the cauiC 
of an unprotected [jerson. My informant was 
silent as to the particulars of the slander, or those 
con ernea in it. 1 exhibited ihe letter immediately 
to surgeon Harney, and the late Lieut. Gajrrard of 
the 1st Infantry, and, with their concurrence, ad- 
drer>sed a letter to my informant, to be made ac- 
quanUed wilh all the circumstances. Early in 
October 1 n^ccived an answer staling that Capt. 
Ch islia-i, of the 1st Infantry, had, when on his 
louteiVom iNew i:-i]glaiid igljutoi) Uougej in June^ 



shown mv iiiloimant a Iclter dirocled to C«.lone\ 
Mc N« il, of the 1st. Infantry, by a person named 
StviS'Di, then iivinir in Millsboroui^h, N \\. wherein 
Siinson slated, thai he had been Assistant Deputy 
to the (5riti^h a(l)iilant general Harvey, in Canada, 
last war, and thai he knew a I ient. James ScallaQ 
thore who left the service of 11. B. >!. iinlcr hi'i;h- 
ly improper circumstances ; that Stinsonknew liini 
from August, llUo, to December fohowmg ; that 
Scallan bcion2:ed to the oth or Kings' own Reict. 
and was well known to (Generals Iliali, Drummond, 
kc. My informant had not completed a transcript 
when it became necessary to return the original; 
but enough exist eM to show tha; JStjnson 'whoever 
he is) might have known a [)erson b/'arin: the s-nie 
name as me, or, t)therw ise, that he was a contempt- 
ible wretch, who, from some cause or wantoness 

i 

had taken it into his head to attem;;t me an inju- 
ry ; and had, in his desire to estabhsh the appear- 
ance of wracity, gone into parficulars, giving 
names and dates, thereby circumventing himself^ 
andgi\ing me ample opportunity to establish him 
(if he is any where to b. found) as a vile mi-c e- 
ant I he sequel of his letter, which I have since 
soen, confirms the latter conjecture. At the first 
inoinent, after reading my informant's letter and 
the Munchausen tale, I handed both to A^aior 
Whartenby, commanding at Daton Rouge, and de- 
manded my owv arr3^l or a court of incpiirv ; he 
tried to dissuade me fium either course, stating that 



iho vile sl^mder was too incredible and contempt- 
ible ; and ihaf in noticing it as I wished, I would 
•give it the semblance of inij)ortance. Alihou.L'h to 
my acquaintance 1 had no nee 1 lo^say any thitiii;? 
yet 1 C(jiild not know how far the darui^ lie mii;ht 
liave spread, or by Aviioni it might be retailed. I, 
therefore, ur^ed my retjuost, and a botird of oificcrs 
"^vas appointed to investigate facts, whose decision 
is herewith numbered 1. At this investigation I 
had i)resent all the officers belonging to the garri- 
son, who held a meeting, and handed me, thr>ngh 
the commanding oiTicer, a decision,. of which No. 
2 is a copy. At thos<3 investigations and decisions? 
held and made the very day I received a copy of 
•the foolish tale, I had no occasion to use further 
means than the documents (a great many of them 
official) which 1 had at hand amongst my papers, 
fihowing that at, before and after the periods men- 
tioned, 1 ^vas 8 or 900 miles distant from the Cana- 
dian dominions of this soi disanl officer's master, 
%vhich I entered for the first time, in the victorione 
division of the army commando>d by general 
Brown, in July, 1814, as 2d I/ieut. of the corps of 
Artillery in the I3attalion commanded by major 
(now colonel) Jacob Hindman. 

The first object with me after this, w'as to ascer- 
tain Avho or what Stinson was. I therefore wrote, 
on the 6th of October, to Colonel M'Neal, to ascer- 
tain it ; and altho'Ihad made arrangements to re- 
!'ign the very day 1 received my informant's letter, I 



resolve 1 to delay it, in on^er to liold myso'f sul)Jrct 
to fuither scrutiny, and urolr to the Coloi^cl to that 
effect, as well as to rrqnost, thut if a doubt remain- 
ed on his mind, tlia' he would refer tr) certain per- 
sons named, (some of the highest authority in the 
nation ) or, if possil)le, to induce Stinson t(' come 
on here, for which j)ur[i05c I promised lo pav all 
his expenses, and to guarantee his personal salVty. 
As the letter to the ('oionel contained an eial)o- 
rate a(c<amt of the affair, and a copy of the infa- 
mous lette' , in which it originated. 1 sent a copy 
of it to Colonel Gibson, Commissary General of 
Subsistence at Washington, to be exhibited by 
him, at the War Department. This I did with con- 
fidence, as the recor Is of that IJepartment, and 
the personal knowledge of some of its members 
could at i>nce stamp the lie on the foolish ta!e. I 
also made references to many of m) fiends, and 
wished tlie whole to be published in a p'lmplilet 
at Washington, and from thence disseminated ; but 
at the instance of s >me gentlemen at Baton Rouge, 
a short official comment from the War Ue[)artment 
was judged best, and for that {)urpose application 
was made by major W hartenby. The answer and 
views of the organ of that depaitment, on the 
coniemptible slander, is herewidi numbered 3. 

On the 1-t instant I arrived here, and learned 
that (apt. ( hiistian was in the city. As I consi- 
dered myself injmed by his imj)rudence, some 
events took place which led lo a renconter, \Ahich is 

2 



gx-^ncraMy known and would not have occurred, I a:l 
he reflected suTK:iently,or followed the first dictales 
of Ills heart: his error, I believe, originated in the 
liead :uk1 not the hc:irt ; bn! resnlted in a?evere pei- 
sonal ininrv to iiiin. * >n the IGth inst. he made me 
an acknowledgement hcrewiih nninberecl 4, and, in 
justice to him, I iirmly believe it was given f om a 
sense of duty to hi )ise!f and ine only, and is consi- 
dered, by those who were intimate ^^ith the subject 
and those concerned, as theoi.lv manlv and U! lifiht 
cou:se he cou'.d take. Captain C. said fu ther, in 
explanation, that when wnh Col Mc Neil, at llills- 
bor )U^h, i'l IVl.iV last, on a visit, he sa'v ihis 
Stins »n f )r the first time ; that he had not been 'ong 
there — was lame, and then conducting a writing 
school ; that the Colonel and Ca})tain heaiing him 
make a statement, as contained in the letter, in-ist- 
ed on his puttitig it into form. Ii was entrusted to 
Captain J to carry lo mc : he was delayed on his 
route in con^ei|u aice of an acciilent, and, as he 
acknowledges, incautiously showed it to two j)er- 
son^, one of whom was my informant. 

The accomptmyiag document, No. 5, from an 
officer who has lonr known and served with me iri 
active duties, shews at once the utter want of charac- 
acterin ^tinsoa. It also contains other matters which 
alone would have stamped ins tale with the char- 
acter it merits ihe desire of my friend to serve 
mc, induced him to olTer this ^ apJ, aitiiouLdi fur- 



ther respectable testimony i=! at hanci, I think it 
would be superiliiou^ to add it here. 

I cannot help remarknig, on what must strike 
every one else with astonishment, what could 
be the motive of this man in attacking me or by 
whom he \\ as urged ? — i)olh are to me a myslery, 
as vet, although I am determined to take measures 
for the devclopement. I do Ui t reco'lect ever 
having seen such a man, altiioagh, in the sequel of 
l)is letter, he states that he had seen me in Boston, 
in 181^: this proves that his villainy was directed 
again-t me ; and, further, he state d that a '^etgt. 
Kcr, whom I had enlisted at Hoston in June or Julv 
1B19, could corroborate his statement, as he had 
served with both in the i3rit sh army. As soon as 
this reference, was had here from Captain 
Christian, it was communicated to Major Wharten- 
by, and the result of Ker's interrogation made un, 
der the direction of the Major is herewith number* 
ed6. 

It is now eight years and four months, being thea 
sixteen years old, since I first entered the service 
of my country ; and with the intermission of six- 
teen months, have continued in it ever since. Dur- 
ing the whole of that period, I can safely say that 
1 never com:nitted a military offence, such as 
would be cognizable before, or of sufficient impor- 
tance to be noticed by a court ma tial. To |)rove that 
I was not considered by my government as having 
meiited its displeasure during the late war, I was 



8 

rrtained in pervicp at its c^ose ; Tnit at the same 
time, 1 must say, that to my knov ledge n>any of 
superior talents and services were disbanded Be- 
fore and since then 1 have received thanks of those 
under whom I acled for services ; and allh^ u^h I 
have never done more than my duty, I am confident I 
have never dt^ne less. V inally 1 can safely aver tV a 1 
am about retiring from public service, at perfect 
peace with all its members, and without leaving an 
enemy behind 

JAMES SCALLAN. 

New- Orleans, ^Ith December^ 1820. 

P. S. This was writti n in haste and is publish- 
ed without correction : my object is to be intelli- 
gible Without regard lo style. J. &. 




i 



APPENUll. 



No I. 

Eatun Rougp, Ocloopr 5fh. 1820. 
IN conspquppce of the rf-q^'cat of Lieut. Scaiian, Aiijutant 
ofthi' 1st k.gt. «.f Ir.fi.ntry, the commandin;; ofiicrr requests 
Doctors H anuy and Finl<y, wiih M :jof Riiulall, to exa- 
mine certain papers, vx-c. wliich will be submitted b) Lieut. 
Scallan, and report thereon in writing. 

(Signed) It AVHARTENBY. 

Majar \st Infanirj CunuVg, 

Agreeably to the above request, we hnve examined two 
letters received by G m ^ . S ^llan f-om ***** (of Boston ) and 
a copy of anothei letter s id by **** to hdve bi^en addressed 
to Col. M'Neal, of the 1st Regt. IJ. S. Infantry ; the latter 
containitg chiirgfs derogatory to the character of Ca«4Afn 
Scallan, as an officer and a gentle man, xvhich letters w fi .d 
jn themselves contradictory, and the charges contained ia 
the letter said to ha*e been addressed to Col. M'Neal, when / 
compared with other letters and papers submitted by G*^ -^ 
Scalla are proven to be false. 

(SigiiedJ B. F HARVEY. 

Sur. ]st I ftt/. 
CLEM. A. FIN; EY. 
Surgeon's Jilafi^, \st Infantry. 
i) RAND XL, 
Pay ./uajK.r 1st Inf ty. 
Garrison, Baton Rouge, 5th Oct. 18^0. 



The comnnndin^; fiffi'"^ states, from him-'*' f, th<»t G«fft. 
Scalh'.n his served wah hi-h as A. jul;irit for near w; years, 
an ! fhi' his roiuluct h;i.'< bijen that of thi' pe:fec» ofli cr and 
gcntlcmin. ami that he has nevt-i h-ard any thif:g (l.Ti.wato- 
ly *.) l,i- oharartcr a« S'i. h, anil m >st cordially believes anJ 
couti ms ihe oiiiaiou of the board of otfirt^re. 

(SigKH!) 1^ Wll\RTE?^^BY, 



No. 2. 

At a mf'p»in:]^ of '.h<' ofTK.ers of the Grrrison on the 5th of 
O oh^r, 1810 en ih ' »ubj<'ct of a lett.-r subtnitt^'d mi I writ- 
ten by ******, tV.in lio-toti, to I/ieut Scall.in, coniamu g cer- 
tain allegations dero- to.y to ih- tharxte.r of Li.ut So.al- 
lan. aii.l a q e.tion proposed by the same, whether a do .bt 
remained on the subj ct. W;.s present : 

Cupf..in Cubbs Lieuts. P.well. Davis, Isett. S,.encer, 
B k H irney. and Strung, of ih 8t: l-fantry. Mi. Ch p- 
pel and U ctor Sentcr-.re M o-irion. that ih- alLga- 
tions contained in said letter a'-efabe and uvfuundd; and 
they fu-ther declare, that th. y have never k own or h< ard 
any thing derogato y or di^hono nable to his character and 
staudins. as a gentleman and an » fti er. 

CS.gt.ed) H. WHARTENBY. 

Jtffljyr \st Inftif. ( om'dg. 

Capt. Jones who was al?o present, siys.. that there must 
have been an offi er of that name, (nut Lie-it. S-allan of the 
American army) or that it must be a poor subterfuge of some 
of hi-^ enemies : m.l further states, that he has never known 
any thit.g derogatory to Licut. Scallun, as an offieer and a 

eeiitlen.eo. ^.„,r 

^ ,^. ,v R. WHARTENBY. 

(bigutd) 

J\Iajor ist Ifty Com'dg. 



11 

No. 3. 

%SiJjHtnnt and Inspector GemraVfi Offict^, 

vVoi- 9ik i820. 
SIR— B -fore I rpcFi e.l y^urlete^ of O. t. 13 h, Cd Gib- 
son had sliown me thi' pa-jers of Capt Scallui, ilii ect»*;! to 
Col. M'Neal W ;!id not dem th^ report of sufluient im- 
portance to be made a •oibj'* t of offi ial comni rit. or to 
cau-^e Capt. S- dhn a m m^'nt'-. uneasiness. 1 transioitted 
tlie papers to the Colonel, and thii.k the report deserves no 
further notice. 

I have the honour to be, Sir, your ob di nt servont, 

I). PA! KER, 
^tljt and Insp. Generalf 
Miij. Whartenby. \st Infantry, 
Baton Itouge, Lou. 

No 4. 

JWuj Orleans. Dec. t6(li, 7820. 
A sensp of justice to Mr. Sci'lari recjuires lii;.t I -h-uld 
thus solcmo'y aik ' wl 'd^e he incorrectness of my pro* 
ceediiig, in oxhibitit;g the base fab ricatiun of a certain Sitin- 
son, to two persons in J":)e last, b fore Mr. Scallan was 
aware of its existence; and that, ii) shewing the calumny. I 
laid the persons under an irjuncMon of secrt cy, and had no 
intrnt'on to I'o an injury to Mr. Scallan. 

F om 'he same feelir^^ to Mr. Sc'Han gounded also on a 
firm conviction of my belief, I free'y confi'm the different 
decisions, decla'in? the utfer wiint of truth, in the W'» toa 
and base declaration of the bt fore-named S'ln^on, whom I 
declare never to have b- en in'imate with, and whose con- 
d"ct. sd'lerl io the tes'imony ot a respectable man who 
knnwe him, places his destitution of truth and principle be- 
yond doubt J and further— I never knew, in a period of 



^4'o4 



12 

four years, thaf T have served with Mr. Scallan, any fhm* in 
Ihe least contrary to the most perfect principles of an officer 
and gentleman. 

(Signed) WM. CIIRISTIAV. 

Capt. 1st Infill: 
Witnesses. 
(Signed) Thomas Wright, 
John SyjIingtos. 



No 5. 

JS^ew- Orleans, Pec. Q.01h, 18?0. 

Mt deau Scallan — In conversation with Litut Phil- 
, ( f the army, a few clays since, at the Bi-y ot St. Louis, 
I learned from him that a Mr. Stinson, ^>ij,pos^^d to be the 
same who wrote to Col. M'N al, on tht^ ■ bject of your sup- 
posed services in the Rritiyh army, ";.s a man dp-;titute of 
every princip!t» of honour, honesty, and truth. T'lat h" re- 
ported on his arrival, (I should «ay his return to 'h^^ United 
States, a-* Mr. P. say. he i^ by birth an Amfrican) 'hat he 
had been a clerk in the s ffi o of he Adju at»l G^-nera! »)f the 
Brifish army, at Kingston, U. C duriiig th" year 1815, Jjnd 
that he soon after visited Erf^land, and was in the battle of 
Waterloo. In short, from the » haracfcr given Stinson by 
Lieut P. he is capable of th?; most outrageous acts of detrac- 
tion and villainy, and unworthy the notice of anyone. 

In comidiance with your request, I will here recapitulate 
the circumstances connected with our first acquaintance, 
which will (if themselves convince nny disinterested mind 
of Mie falsity of Mr. Stinson'i character. I believe in the 
early part of J*'Iy, 1814 at ChippiWii, U. C I m-t y u a 
Lieutenant in the corps ot artilleiy, of the army of the Uni* 
teil States. You was shortly after wounded in an en^ige- 
ment with 'he enemy, and rendered incapabn^ of active ser- 
vice. H. ing with me in and during the battle of Chip- 
pewa, public vouchers amounting to abuve 30,000 dollars. 



and near 3000 dollars in mitney, I deemed it proper to make 
a deposit of them witU ^.ne whi would preserve them, until 
the end of the campaign . \ccordin-ly 1 ascended the Niaga- 
ra Uiver with you to B'tfio, 4iu.0!n,)arned by Lieut. For- 
tune, of liis Majesty's 8th, o. Iv ng's own rt-giment, wUo had 
been wounded and made prisoner at diippewa. On our ar- 
rival at Bufialo, I gave to you iht- vouchers and money men- 
tioned, believing your wound w.uld not permit you to join 
the army again for somt- months. Tois conclusion, however. 
proved erroneous; as yuu returned in two weeks after, and 
gave me, at Queen^town Ucghts, itie trust left in your 
diarge— and Uirectly after tneb.iitle of Br.dgewdtcr you ac- 
coml^anied Gen.Ri.i, Capt. Lonng, aid tu G.ii. Drummond, 
uau »i>.ne oiner piiioaers to Uulfalo. Any one ot whom, it 
is jiiesumtd, wuuid have recognized you, had you oat a few 
ino'nui, oefore associated and served wub tuem, as Mr. Stin- 

soa would have us believe. 

I am truly your's, 

TilO. WRIGHT.* 

Capt. J. SCALLAN. 

No. 6. 
Garricou, Liuun Ilozige, 9th Dec. 1820. 
Question put to Ser^t. lU . ol tue 1st regiment U. States' 
lutantry, reUUvc to i^ieut. James dcallau, of tlie same 

regiment : 

(^uesftort.— Old you ever see or know Lieut. James Scal- 
lan, ai any time or place, oefarc you saw bmi as an officer of 
ihe lat Infantry ?— ^nsirer.— Ao. 
AVuuesses to liie toregoiu- question and answer, 
(bigneu) 11. D. Richardson, 

Lapt. d. ti. Ordnance, 
Thos. Barkeh, Lieut, isi JnfHy. 

* Lieut, and Paymastci of the late 22.\ regt. during the 

war, and at present Paymaster ot the 8ih. 

4 



No. 7. 

^"610- Orleans, Jan. 5lh, 1821. 
Since the foregoing was put to press, I iiavi> received 
numerous documents fro-n my friends in Virs^inia, &c. 
to put down the infaiuojs slander^. As the follow- 
ing is in point, by embM^u ig all ttie periods stateil by 
Stinson, an 1 as it wiuld :)«? s i »ei(liouj to add m xe, I 
have confined myself to its publication. J. S. 

WE. whose names are hereunto subscribed, <lo «nake 
oath, that Mr. James Scallun, now a Captain in tht' United 
States' army, lived in \lexa'idria ^ a. in th^ ya' 18) ^i, and 
IV as a resident of the borough of J^Tt'^folk an citj of Rich- 
viond, state f Virginia, from the spring >f i812, iintit May, 
1814, at which time he proceed>'il toj jiu tlie (Jaited S ites' 
army in or near Canada, in which he had previiU'^'v obtain- 
ed a commission. That during M' . Scallan's residence in 
Norfolk, he volunteered his services to go down to Cranky 
Island, where the British made an attatk on it, viz. on the 
£2d diy of June, 1813. 

(Signed) ROB. C. JENNIVGS. 

TVith the exception of Mr. Scallan's volunteering to go to 

Craneij Island, deponent being then in iVash'ington City. 

(Signed) VVM. K.<:aN. 

FRAS. C. FONTAINE. 

JVorfolk Borough, to Wit : 

rhis day, personally appeared before me, an alderman 
of said Borough. Robert C. Jennings, Wm. Kean, and Fras. 
C. Fontaine, who made oath to the truth of the preceeding 
adidavit. 

Given under my hand and seal this 23d d.ay of 
November, 1820. 
rSigncd) WRIGHT SOUTHGATE. [seal.] 



i5 

No. 8. 

SiQce the foregojpg was paulished, Major Wliartenby, 
coinmaadiag Uie lid ita.ury, Has received d letcer from Col. 
M'NmI, ddied vVaaluugcon Oity. -Zddx Nov. 18^0, A^tiere he 
had just arrived icoia .iie ajr.h, id wiuoii, afier expiaiaiog 
his motives for taKi ig aotice of Scmsou's report, he saj^s :— 

"1 also, in ttte medn tune, haveootaioed informauon thro* 
the agoucy of the Biaftj^ o. ^ leoec, lo w.io.n 1 uade reter- 
cnce, wiiuh luducei me lo jelieve iftai Uie L.ieut. Junes 
Scailau, of me Biiiisn service, desc ibea by Ac. StiQsou, is a 
ctiaracter aliogetlier fictMous — Tii* mtoi matiou, ana mat 
ot L*ir. Scailau, saisfy me that Atinson was a caLumiuaior, 
though of crediubl ap|jearance aud restieclaOle touueiion* 
in New-Ham^shire.'' 

So it appears that no per on, even of rtij name, was in 
B. h. Mdjes.y'a set vice in Cauada. 1 nis 1 oelievea tu. ou- ii' 
oui, aud oui^ vvdtiud 10 see a uritisii ariu> register tu cua- 
firui me in the belief which Col. M'^^iel's letter (daces oe- 
joud uoubt. ^« '^f 



\ 



